A scary scene is playing out in the General Assembly, and the ending could mean the real-life downfall of many North Carolina movie theatres. The tax reform proposals being considered by state lawmakers includes an admission tax for movie tickets. This tax will impact all moviegoers and could ultimately determine the fate of an important contributor to our state’s economy and our communities.

I am the director of operations at Carousel Cinemas in Alamance County. We play a vital role in our community. We are an entertainment destination for our customers from Burlington and surrounding areas. We provide jobs for senior citizens and our young people. We directly affect the success of surrounding restaurants and other retail sectors; and we have helped to stimulate the overall vibrancy of the cities we serve.

I know all too well what the proposed 4.75 percent tax increase on movie tickets will mean to our customers, our business and the well-being of our local economy. This is not a mitigated increase. This is a marked change that will be too much for my customers to absorb. Ticket sales and subsequent concession sales could drop dramatically.

The loss in theatre traffic would translate to other businesses as well. Surrounding restaurants and retail sectors could also see a decline and the entire local economy would suffer. This is wrong for our communities, and it is wrong for North Carolina.

The admission tax would result in such a loss of business across so many sectors that the impact it would have would be counterproductive to its intent. Instead of serving as a reliable source of tax revenue for the state, it would only serve to threaten the very existence of many of our businesses — a devastating consequence that would have immediate repercussions.

Movie theatres are part of the heart and soul of a community. We, like all theatres in small-to-middle sized towns and cities, help to add an air of energy and vitality to the area around us. Communities that have thriving movie theatres are not considered “small” or “stagnant.” We are happy to be an essential building block for our local economies. We just ask that state lawmakers don’t tear us down.